The paths of strangers intersect at a roadside gas station on the night shift. Pit stops become the wrong place at the wrong time for some and opportunities for other in this short thriller.
Can you tell us what inspired you to bring this story to life?
I got the idea to write On The Way North after the 2015 prison break in upstate New York that has since been dramatized in Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora”. I wasn’t interested in a retelling of the events but it got my brain turning as to what a chance encounter could be like with wanted fugitives. I’m always interested in seemingly random occurrences that create lasting impact for some.
How did you go about casting in ‘On The Way North’?
The casting of this film was a hodgepodge of tactics and we couldn’t be happier with the actors we were able to assemble. Sebastian and Sara were working actors that I have been friends with for years, while Geofrey Cantor graced us with his talent due to a family connection with our crew, and we cold offered Brian Anthony Wilson the role through his representation and he liked the script and signed on. This film was truly a team effort.
As a director are you open to suggestions and changes when you start shooting or do you like to stick to what has been written?
I believe in having a solid script that the cast and rest of the team is comfortable with and responding to, but more as a document from which to work off rather than an end all and be all entity that can’t be deviated from. I think a director’s job is to listen and observe everything that’s happening around them and respond to the fluidity and the things that come up moment to moment on a film set and adapt accordingly. On most films, at least in my experience, and on this film in particular, you may reach a point where something on paper isn’t working as you’d hoped, I strongly believe in listening and changing course to best suit the overall project.